The present invention generally relates to gutter systems used on structures for directing water resulting from precipitation away from the structure which receives the gutter system, and more particularly, to an improved arrangement for mating the downspout associated with the gutter system with the remainder of the system.
Any of a number of different structures are routinely provided with any of a variety of different gutter systems for accommodating water resulting from various weather conditions such as rain, snow and sleet. Such gutter systems conventionally operate to receive water which has come to be collecting on roof portions of the structure which receives the gutter system, and to channel that water down one or more substantially horizontal gutters fitted along the perimeter of the roof (i.e., the fascia) and into one or more generally vertical downspouts for bringing the collected water down to ground level. Bottom portions of the downspout can conventionally be provided with a curved or angled piece, known as a “shoe”, for directing the water away from the structure, or an underground system of pipe for directing the water away from the structure, in either case, for purposes of preventing water damage to the structure.
Because such gutter systems are designed to effectively catch water, it is common for such gutter systems to also retain other, unwanted debris such as leaves, twigs, nests, balls, etc. Debris collecting along the bottom of the gutters of the gutter system does not necessarily cause a problem because water will tend to follow the path of least resistance, and will tend to flow under, around and/or over the collected debris. However, when debris moves down the gutters, toward the downspouts, there is a tendency for such debris to clog the holes where the gutters meet the downspouts, and this clogging can cause problems. For example, because water cannot then freely exit the gutter and flow down the downspout, water tends to back up and overflow the gutter, rendering the gutter useless. This can also provide a breeding area for insects, and can even produce enough weight to pull the gutter from the structure which receives it.
As a consequence, it is important to ensure that the area where the gutter meets the downspout is kept clean and free of debris to ensure that water will be able to effectively flow from the gutter and into the downspout, for desired discharge from the gutter system. Often, this is done manually, requiring someone to climb up to the gutters, or the roof of the structure, to inspect and/or clean the gutters and their junctions with the downspouts. This can, however, present certain dangers, and this is generally not done by most on an effective and regular basis. For this reason, a number of systems have been developed in an effort to reduce the amount of debris that can collect in the gutters of a gutter system.
For example, screens, covers, so-called “helmets”, and the like, have been installed on the gutters to prevent debris, birds, bees, etc., from entering and collecting in the gutters. Even taking such measures, however, debris, nests, hives, etc., still tend to find their way into the gutters and to eventually clog the area where the gutters meet the downspouts. This is particularly so when considering that it does not take a lot of debris to clog the top opening of a downspout. Also, because covered gutters cannot easily be inspected, it is not uncommon to remain unaware of a potential problem until the problem manifests itself, and damage has been done.
Another solution which has been attempted is to provide the top opening of the downspout with a screen directly fitted to the junction between the gutter and the downspout. In practice, however, this attempted solution has actually been found to be counter-productive because even a small amount of debris that encounters the screen will tend to immediately begin to clog the screen, with the result that the screen will then itself operate to prevent other debris from entering the downspout.
Another solution which has been attempted is to enlarge the opening where the gutter meets the downspout. In practice, however, this attempted solution has also been found to be counter-productive because larger debris such as twigs, balls and nests tend to fall through the larger opening and get stuck in the downspout, or the connecting elbow, leading to the further potential for clogging.
Recognizing that attempts to reduce the amount of debris that can collect in the gutters was not providing an entirely satisfactory solution, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,611 (Leahy) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,239 (Leahy) disclosed a different approach toward keeping the gutters of a gutter system clean. To this end, a gutter system (marketed under the trademark “Tilt 'N Clean”) was provided which allowed a user to rotate the gutters from a conventional, water-catching position, through an angle of 110 degrees, to a debris-dumping position. Moreover, this could be done while the user was at ground level. Such rotation of the gutters enabled debris to fall out of the gutters, in this way helping to reduce the amount of debris that could reach the opening for the downspout. At times, however, the downspout could still become clogged where the gutter met the downspout.
To overcome this problem, the Tilt 'N Clean system was provided with downspouts that could be removed from the gutters, enabling the user to remove the downspout from the structure. Debris in the downspout, primarily at the top of the downspout, could then be cleaned out by the user while remaining on the ground. This downspout system, however, was specific to the Tilt 'N Clean system and could not be used on any other gutter systems because the resulting interface would tend to leak.
As a consequence, while the Tilt 'N Clean system could be adapted to allow a 1, 2 or 3-story downspout to be removed from the gutter which receives it, so the downspout could then be cleaned while on the ground and as often as needed, the majority of the gutter systems currently in operation (on the order of 95%) are the so-called “K-style” gutters (e.g., 5 inch K-gutters), and the removable downspouts of the Tilt 'N Clean system could not be adapted to such gutters. It therefore remained to develop a removable downspout system that could be effectively used with the more conventional gutter systems currently in use.